climate Archives - Disasters News

Apr232025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

New Zealand Unveils Major Environmental Reporting Changes to Support Its Net-Zero Goals

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

In a bold move to elevate its environmental governance New Zealand has announced sweeping reforms to its national environmental reporting framework aiming to deliver more accurate, accessible and actionable climate and ecological data. Environment Minister Penny Simmonds unveiled the changes this week describing them as a crucial shift from reactive crisis management to proactive evidence based environmental decision-making. These reforms are set to align New Zealand with global best practices while helping communities and businesses plan for an increasingly unpredictable future. At the core of the reforms is an amended Environmental Reporting Act, replacing the current six-monthly reporting cycle with a more strategic annual model. The new framework also integrates analysis of envir...

Apr232025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Underwater Waterfalls Detected from Space Reveal Climate’s Hidden Currents

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Far beneath the waves of the stormy Southern Ocean, cold, salty water plunges off Antarctica’s continental shelf like a silent underwater waterfall, fueling a vast ocean current system that helps regulate Earth’s climate. Long hidden and nearly impossible to observe, these dense water cascades are finally being seen not by ships or divers, but from space. In a groundbreaking study, researchers have used satellite data to track these powerful underwater flows by spotting tiny dips in sea level often just a few centimetres. These subtle signals, detected by satellites orbiting hundreds of kilometres above Earth, mark the sinking of cold, heavy water as it plunges to the ocean floor. This discovery opens up a low-cost, carbon-free way to monitor one of the ocean’s most important but elusiv...

Apr152025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Unseasonal Rainstorms Kill Nearly 100 Across India and Nepal, More Bad Weather Ahead

Breaking News, Climate Actions

Heavy rains and thunderstorms sweeping through parts of India and Nepal since Wednesday have led to nearly 100 deaths, with more severe weather forecasted in the coming days. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued fresh warnings, cautioning the public about a combination of heatwaves in western India and continued thunderstorms in the central and eastern regions. Bihar has been the hardest hit, where at least 64 people have died in various rain-related incidents. In Uttar Pradesh, local authorities have reported over 20 fatalities, as strong winds, lightning, and flash floods wreaked havoc across districts. Across the border in Nepal, the National Disaster Authority confirmed that at least eight people lost their lives due to lightning strikes and rain-triggered accidents...

Apr122025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Northern China Braces for Gale Force Winds Travel Disruptions as Cold Vortex Approaches

Breaking News, Climate Actions

Beijing, April 12, 2025 — Northern China is on high alert this weekend as a powerful cold vortex sweeps in from Mongolia triggering typhoon-like gales and prompting widespread disruptions across the region. Authorities have issued the highest level wind warnings in a decade for the capital Beijing, and surrounding provinces. According to the state-run Xinhua News Agency, wind gusts could reach up to 150 kilometers per hour (93 mph), posing significant risks to public safety. In response Beijing has activated an orange alert the second-highest in China's four-tier weather warning system for high winds a level not seen in over ten years. With a sharp temperature drop of up to 12°C expected, officials have urged the city’s 22 million residents to avoid all non-essential travel. Public p...

Apr112025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Africa Climate Wake-Up Nearly Half Say Governments Must Lead Fight Against Global Warming

Breaking News, Climate Actions

In a sweeping new survey that reflects the growing urgency of the climate crisis in Africa, nearly half of those aware of climate change across the continent believe their own governments should bear the primary responsibility for combating its impacts. The findings, published in the journal Nature, draw from Afrobarometer the largest public opinion survey in Africa and shed light on how citizens across 39 countries are assigning blame and demanding accountability for a crisis that is fast reshaping their lives. Of the 53,444 people surveyed, 26,735 respondents said they were aware of climate change. Among this informed group, 45 per cent pointed to their national governments as the ones who must lead the charge against the unfolding environmental crisis. Another 30 per cent placed tha...

Apr102025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

India Opens High-Altitude Climate Research Centre in Himalayas Boosts Global Role in Climate Science

Breaking News, Climate Actions

India has taken a major step forward in global climate leadership by inaugurating its first Himalayan High Altitude Atmospheric and Climate Research Centre at Nathatop in Jammu & Kashmir. The cutting-edge facility, located 2,250 meters above sea level, was opened by Union Minister Dr. Jitendra Singh and is poised to play a vital role in understanding and tackling the complex challenges of climate change, particularly in the ecologically sensitive Himalayan region. Calling it a “major leap” in India’s climate journey, Dr. Singh emphasized that the Centre would position the country as a global hub for atmospheric and climate science. Strategically located in a low-pollution zone ideal for high-accuracy studies, the research station is expected to significantly boost scientific underst...

Apr92025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Australia Faces 37% Spike in Heatwave Hazards: New Report Warns of Climate Health Crisis

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Environment

Australia has recorded a sharp 37 per cent rise in health-threatening heatwaves over the past two decades, according to the latest MJA–Lancet Countdown report released this week. The findings come as part of a broader annual assessment tracking how climate change is impacting public health across the nation. Lead author Professor Paul Beggs from Macquarie University, who heads the Lancet Countdown Centre in Oceania, stressed that the data highlights the need for consistent, long-term tracking of climate risks in Australia. “The frequency of health-damaging heat has increased substantially since the 1970s,” he said. The 2024 report covers five major domains: health impacts, adaptation, mitigation efforts, economics, and public engagement. One standout concern is the growing intersecti...

Apr92025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

India Temperature Trends Remain a Mystery, Says Harvard Atmospheric Scientist

Breaking News, Climate Actions

India temperature trends continue to baffle climate scientists with one of the leading voices in atmospheric science, Dr. Loretta J Mickley of Harvard University, admitting that experts still don’t fully understand the forces shaping the country’s warming patterns. In an interview wirh Mickley explored the complex role aerosols play in India’s climate and why projections for the future remain highly uncertain. Despite decades of rising global temperatures, India has warmed only about half as much as the rest of the Northern Hemisphere since 1950, based on NASA data using 1951–1980 as a baseline. While this may seem like a positive anomaly, it raises significant scientific questions. Mickley, senior research fellow and co-lead of the Atmospheric Chemistry Modeling Group at Harvard Say...

Apr22025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Experts Stress Urgent Need for Gender-Disaggregated Data in Climate Disaster Policies as Odisha Pioneers Inclusive Risk

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Fact Check

As climate disasters intensify across the globe experts are raising concerns over the lack of gender-disaggregated data in disaster response and policy formulation. Women, particularly those in vulnerable communities bear the brunt of climate-induced crises, yet there is a glaring gap in data collection that could inform targeted policies and resources. A recent scoping study by the Union Ministry of Women and Child Development highlights that women and children are 14 times more likely to perish in disasters compared to men. Despite this alarming statistic, essential data such as the number of women affected, their socioeconomic status, and their specific needs often remain unavailable making it difficult to craft inclusive climate resilience policies. Women at the Heart of Disaster...

Apr22025 by Editor DeskNo Comments

Global Climate Monitoring Boosted as GTN-R Joins GCOS Affiliated Networks

Breaking News, Climate Actions, Tech

In a major development for climate observation and water cycle research, the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS) has officially accredited the Global Terrestrial Network for River Discharge (GTN-R) as one of its GCOS Affiliated Networks. This recognition marks a crucial step in strengthening global freshwater monitoring and advancing the understanding of climate dynamics. GTN-R plays a vital role within the Global Runoff Data Centre (GRDC), an institution that has been functioning under the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) since 1988. Operated by the German Federal Institute of Hydrology (BfG), GRDC has long served as a key hub for river discharge data worldwide. GTN-R, a specialized subset within GRDC, comprises more than 300 river discharge gauging stations strategically pos...